Transmission Power Compensation by Attenuation Mapping in 5G and 6G

ABSTRACT

For improved messaging reliability in 5G and 6G, mobile users and their base stations can adjust their transmission power according to the current location of the mobile user. Each entity can maintain a map of known attenuation values, including “dead zones”, and can adjust their transmission power and/or reception gain to compensate. Instead of constantly exchanging location-update messages, the users can indicate their speed and direction, and the base station (or other users) can extrapolate the location versus time to determine a future location, and thereby determine the attenuation factor at the new position. In addition, the base station can use a map to follow the mobile user device&#39;s progress, and can thereby update the attenuation factor in real-time. If the mobile user makes a change, it can inform the base station at that time, or during initial access. Result: improved reliability, lower energy consumption, improved traffic safety.

PRIORITY CLAIMS AND RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/526,182, entitled “Location-Based Power for High Reliability and LowLatency in 5 G/6 G”, filed Nov. 15, 2021, which claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/144,168, entitled“High-Power Transmission of Priority Wireless Messages”, filed Nov. 16,2020, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/117,720,entitled “Automatic Frequency Correction for Wireless MobileCommunications”, filed Nov. 24, 2020, and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 63/118,156, entitled “Automatic FrequencyCorrection for Wireless Mobile Communications”, filed Nov. 25, 2020, andU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/274,221, entitled “RapidDoppler Correction for Mobile V2X Communication in 5G/6G”, filed Nov. 1,2021, and US Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/276 139,entitled “Location-Based Power for High Reliability and Low Latency in5G/6G”, filed Nov. 5, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.No. 63/276,745, entitled “AI-Based Power Allocation for Efficient 5G/6GCommunications”, filed Nov. 8, 2021, and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 63/278,578, entitled “Location-Based Beamformingfor Rapid 5G and 6G Directional Messaging”, filed Nov. 12, 2021, all ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed are systems and methods for adjusting the transmission powerof a wireless message according to the location of the recipient.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Reliability and latency are key requirements for many wirelesscommunications. Each wireless user generally has reliability and latencyrequirements, based for example on the QoS or QoE that the user expects.In some cases, however, a user may experience insufficient reliabilitydue to reception errors, or unsatisfactory latency due to delays fromfaulted or collided messages, among other mishaps. What is needed ismeans for users to obtain enhanced communication reliability and reducedlatency when needed to mitigate deteriorating conditions.

This Background is provided to introduce a brief context for the Summaryand Detailed Description that follow. This Background is not intended tobe an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter nor beviewed as limiting the claimed subject matter to implementations thatsolve any or all of the disadvantages or problems presented above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect, there is a method for a mobile user device tocommunicate wirelessly, the method comprising: determining a location ofthe mobile user device; determining a speed and a travel direction ofthe mobile user device; and transmitting a localization messageindicating the location of the mobile user device, the speed of themobile user device, and the travel direction of the mobile user device.

In another aspect, there is a base station of a wireless network, thebase station configured to: determine a two-dimensional distribution ofattenuation factors, each attenuation factor comprising a signalattenuation value, each signal attenuation value corresponding to alocation within signaling range of the base station; receive alocalization message from a mobile user device, the localization messageindicating a first location of the mobile user device; determine,according to the two-dimensional distribution of attenuation factors, afirst attenuation factor corresponding to the first location; adjust atransmission power level to compensate for the first attenuation factor;and transmit a downlink message to the mobile user device using theadjusted transmission power level.

In another aspect, there is a method for a first vehicle in traffic tocommunicate with another vehicle, the method comprising: determining,based on signals from a global navigation satellite system, a firstlocation of the first vehicle; determining, based on a speedometer inthe first vehicle, a first speed of the first vehicle; determining,based on an electronic compass in the first vehicle, a first traveldirection of the first vehicle; broadcast a first message specifying awireless address of the first vehicle, the first location, the firstspeed, and the first travel direction.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form. The concepts are further described in the DetailedDescription section. Elements or steps other than those described inthis Summary are possible, and no element or step is necessarilyrequired. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended foruse as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solveany or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.

These and other embodiments are described in further detail withreference to the figures and accompanying detailed description asprovided below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of a mobile userdevice communicating with a base station, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 1B is a flowchart showing an exemplary embodiment of a procedurefor a mobile user device and a base station to adjust their transmissionpower levels, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2A is a sketch showing an exemplary embodiment of a mobile userdevice passing by an obscuration, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2B is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of a base stationcompensating for signal attenuation, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2C is a flowchart showing an exemplary embodiment of a procedurefor a mobile user device and a base station to compensate for signalobscuration, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3A is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of vehiclescommunicating with power compensation, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3B is a flowchart showing an exemplary embodiment of a procedurefor a mobile user devices to compensate for distance, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 4A is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of a messageformat for user devices to indicate locations to base stations,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4B is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of a messageformat for user devices to indicate locations to other user devices,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5A is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of a messageformat for base stations to indicate locations to user devices,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5B is a schematic showing another exemplary embodiment of a messageformat for base stations to indicate locations to user devices,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5C is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of alow-complexity message format for a base station to indicate itslocation to user devices, according to some embodiments.

Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for a user device of a wirelessnetwork to obtain enhanced message reliability and low latency bycausing a transmitter to vary the transmission power level according tothe location of the recipient, thereby preventing message errors in 5Gand 6G wireless communications. Systems and methods disclosed herein(the “systems” and “methods”, also occasionally termed “embodiments” or“arrangements” or “versions”, generally according to present principles)can provide urgently needed wireless communication protocols to adjusttransmitter power to prevent receiver message faults, enhance messagereliability, and provide low latency when required. Versions providelocation-based adjustment of transmitter power, with automatic powerenhancement to overcome local obstructions, while further protocols maybe suitable for both reduced-capability user devices andhigh-performance/high-demand customers in managed 5G/6G networks as wellas V2V and V2X sidelink communications between user devices in motion.

Most wireless communications are not transmitted at the maximum poweravailable. Transmissions with power in excess of that required forreception would waste energy (a consideration particularly forbattery-operated devices), generate heat, and potentially interfere withother users such as those in adjoining networks. When the density ofusers is high, the potential for noise and interference from othertransmitters becomes increasingly problematic. Therefore, the basestation usually instructs each user device to restrict its transmissionamplitude based on the reception SNR or SINR (signal to interference andnoise ratio) received by the base station, and that amplitude isgenerally lower than the maximum power that the user device'stransmitter could achieve. Likewise the user devices may sendsignal-quality reports back to the base station regarding the downlinksignal quality received by the user devices, and those reports mayenable the base station to adjust its own transmission power to be justsufficient for reception by each user. However, in some cases, a usermay need enhanced communication reliability or reduced latency,especially when reception deteriorates due to long range or anobstruction, for example. In those cases it may be advantageous toenhance communication reliability and avoid retransmission delays byautomatically increasing the transmission power above the level normallyallowed or normally employed, without the need for a power scan withfeedback messages and the like. If the condition necessitating the powerincrease then subsides, the transmission power can be automaticallyreturned to normal, according to some embodiments.

Terms herein generally follow 3GPP (third generation partnershipproject) standards, but with clarification where needed to resolveambiguities. As used herein, “5G” represents fifth-generation and “6G”sixth-generation wireless technology. A network (or cell or LAN or localarea network or the like) may include a base station (or gNB orgeneration-node-B or eNB or evolution-node-B or access point) in signalcommunication with a plurality of user devices (or UE or user equipmentor nodes or terminals) and operationally connected to a core network(CN) which handles non-radio tasks, such as administration, and isusually connected to a larger network such as the Internet. Embodimentsmay include direct user-to-user (“sidelink”) communication such as V2V(vehicle-to-vehicle) communication, V2X (vehicle-to-anything), X2X(anything-to-anything, also called D2D or device-to-device) and basestation communications or V2N (vehicle-to-network). Here, “vehicle” isto be construed broadly, including any mobile wireless communicationdevice. The time-frequency space is generally configured as a “resourcegrid” including a number of “resource elements”, each resource elementbeing a specific unit of time termed a “symbol time”, and a specificfrequency and bandwidth termed a “subcarrier” (or “subchannel” in somereferences). Each subcarrier can be independently modulated to conveymessage information. Thus a resource element, spanning a single symbolin time and a single subcarrier in frequency, is the smallest unit of amessage. Each modulated resource element of a message is referred to asa “symbol” in references, but this may be confused with the same termfor a time interval. Therefore, each modulated reference element of amessage is referred to as a “message element” in examples below. A“demodulation reference” is a set of modulated resource elements thatexhibit levels of a modulation scheme (as opposed to conveying data),and each resource element of a demodulation reference is termed a“reference element” herein. A message may be configured “time-spanning”by occupying sequential symbols at a single frequency, or“frequency-spanning” on multiple subcarriers at a single symbol time(also called “frequency-first” if the message continues on multiplesymbol times). “CRC” (cyclic redundancy code) is an error-checking code.“RNTI” (radio network temporary identity) or “C-RNTI” (cell radionetwork temporary identification) is a network-assigned user code. “QoS”is quality of service, or priority. “QCI” (QoS class identifier) definesvarious performance levels. A message is “unicast” if it is addressed toa specific recipient, and “broadcast” if it includes no recipientaddress. Transmissions are “isotropic” if they provide roughly the samewave energy in all horizontal directions. A device “knows” something ifit has the relevant information. A device “listens” or “monitors” achannel or frequency if the device receives, or attempts to receive,signals on the channel or frequency. A message is “faulted” or“corrupted” if one or more bits of the message are altered relative tothe original message. “Receptivity” is the quality of reception of amessage. “QPSK” (quad phase-shift keying) is a modulation scheme withtwo bits per message element, and 16QAM (quadrature amplitude modulationwith 16 states) is a modulation scheme with 4 bits per message element.

Embodiments of the systems and methods include a user device configuredto determine the distance to a base station and to adjust its uplinktransmission power level so that the amplitude as-received by the basestation is in a prescribed range. Further embodiments include a basestation configured to determine the distance to the user device andadjust its downlink transmission power level for sufficient reception bythe user device. Also disclosed are charts or maps or the like,indicating regions of obstruction or poor receptivity. Alternatively,the maps or the like may indicate transmission power levels versuslocation, including enhanced power levels to account for obstructions orregions of reduced receptivity, for example. A user device and/or a basestation can maintain such maps or the like in non-transitorycomputer-readable memory, and can thereby adjust its transmission powerlevel to provide sufficient reception according to the location of theuser device. The systems and methods further include direct user-to-usermessaging, with power compensation depending on the locations of thetransmitting and receiving entities. Further embodiments include mobileuser devices and/or base stations configured to calculate an updateddistance between two entities based on a previously determined locationand speed and direction of travel of the two entities, then calculate anupdated power level based at least in part on the updated distance, andto transmit a message according to the updated transmission power level.

A motivation for the systems and methods disclosed herein may includeimproving signal reception at longer range and among obstructionsautomatically, while avoiding time-consuming power scans and feedbackmessaging. A further motivation may be to enhance reliability byreducing message faults by providing sufficient as-received amplitudedespite changing conditions. A further motivation may be to provide lowlatency by avoiding delays associated with non-acknowledgements andmessage retransmissions.

Following are examples of a mobile user device adjusting its uplinktransmission power for satisfactory receptivity, based on the distancebetween the user device and the base station.

FIG. 1A is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of a mobile userdevice communicating with a base station, according to some embodiments.As depicted in this non-limiting example, a user device 101, depicted asa vehicle in top view, is in communication with a base station 102,depicted as an antenna. Locations of the user device 101 and the basestation 102 are relative to a reference frame 103, such as thegeographic latitude and longitude, or other suitable frame. The distanceD 104 between the user device 101 and the base station 102 is indicated.To determine the distance 104, the user device 101 can determine its ownlocation using, for example, a satellite-based navigation system such asGPS, or a map, a local address, or other suitable geographical locatingsystem. The user device 101 can also determine the location of the basestation 102 using a published database of network information, or a map,or a previous registration on that base station, or a message from thebase station 102, or from another base station having the relevant data,or other suitable means for locating the base station. The user device101 can then calculate the distance 104 according to a suitable formula,such as: adding the square of the latitude distance between the twoentities, plus the square of the longitude distance, and taking thesquare root of that sum. To sufficient accuracy, the longitude distanceis the circumference of the Earth times the difference in longitudedegrees, divided by 360, and the latitude distance is the circumferenceof the Earth times the cosine of the latitude degrees, times thedifference in latitude degrees, divided by 360.

The user device 101 can then determine a transmission power levelaccording to the distance 104. For example, the user device 101 mayinclude (in non-transitory computer-readable memory) an algorithm,formula, computer code, tabulation, or other way of relating thetransmission power level to the distance 104. For example, the algorithmmay select a lower power level for shorter distances to avoidoverdriving the base station receiver, and higher power levels forlonger distances to enable the base station to receive a messagereliably. Using that selected power level, the user device 101 may thentransmit an uplink message to the base station 102 indicating, amongother data, the location of the user device 101, or the distancecalculated, or both. The base station 102 may then repeat the distancecalculation and/or employ its own algorithm to determine a sufficientpower level for downlink communications with the user device 101 acrossthat distance 104. The base station 102 may then transmit anacknowledgement to the user device 101 using that sufficient powerlevel. In some embodiments, the uplink message and/or theacknowledgement may be transmitted according to 5G or 6G technology.

An advantage of determining the distance 104 and the selected powerlevel before transmitting the message, may be that the message mayarrive at the destination with sufficient amplitude to be reliablyreceived, but not so much amplitude that it would overdrive the receiveror interfere with other user devices elsewhere. Another advantage may bethat a time-consuming “power scan” may be avoided. (A power scan is atime-consuming iterative procedure by which the user device repeatedlytransmits short messages at various power levels and the base stationindicates which messages are detected and, optionally, the amplitudelevel received. A second power scan may then be required, with the basestation varying the downlink power and the user device indicatingreceptivity.) Another advantage may be that the message may be receivedwith high reliability and low latency, by avoiding message faults due toinsufficient power. A further advantage may be that the user device mayavoid the delays and energy wastage involved in receiving anon-acknowledgement (or no acknowledgement within a predeterminedinterval) and then retransmitting the message at a higher power level.

Another advantage may be that the depicted procedures may be compatiblewith devices that may have difficulty complying with prior-art 5G or 6Gregistration procedures. Another advantage may be that the depictedprocedures may be implemented as a software (or firmware) update,without requiring new hardware development, and therefore may beimplemented at low cost, according to some embodiments. The proceduresmay be implemented as a system or apparatus, a method, or instructionsin non-transitory computer-readable media for causing a computingenvironment, such as a user device, a base station, or othersignally-coupled component of a wireless network, to implement theprocedure. As mentioned, the examples are non-limiting. Other advantagesmay be apparent to skilled artisans after reading this disclosure. Theadvantages in this paragraph may apply equally to other embodimentsdescribed below.

FIG. 1B is a flowchart showing an exemplary embodiment of a procedurefor a mobile user device and a base station to adjust their transmissionpower levels, according to some embodiments. As depicted in thisnon-limiting example, at 151 a mobile user device, such as a vehicle,determines the location of a base station, such as a base stationproximate to the user device. The user device may determine the basestation's location using a publicly accessible tabulation of basestation locations, or a message from that base station, or a messagefrom another base station or from some other transmitter, or a map ofbase station locations, or other way of finding the base station'slocation. Then, if not sooner, the user device determines, at 152, itsown location using, for example, GPS or other means. At 153 the userdevice calculates the distance between itself and the base stationaccording to the locations determined.

At 154, the user device calculates a transmission power level to use incommunicating with the base station. That calculation may employ analgorithm or formula or function or computer code or graphicalcorrelation or interpolatable tabulation or other means for determininga suitable and sufficient power based at least in part on the distance.At 155, the user device transmits an uplink message using the calculatedpower level. The transmission power level may be adjusted by adjustingan amplifier in the transmitter, or digitally by calculating atransmission waveform with a particular amplitude, or other means wellknown in the radio arts. In some embodiments, the uplink message mayinclude an indication of the user device's location, or of thecalculated distance, or other data enabling the base station to adjustits power level corresponding to the distance.

At 156, the base station receives the uplink message and adjusts itsdownlink transmission power level according to the distance. The basestation may also check the user device's analysis by recalculating thedistance, depending on which items of information are included in theuplink message. At 157, the base station may use an algorithm, or thelike, to calculate a sufficient transmission power level based at leastin part on the distance. The base station's power level may differ fromthat of the user device because their antennas may be quite different,among many other differences between the base station and the userdevice. Then, at 158, the base station may transmit an acknowledgement,or other message, to the user device, using the downlink power levelthus determined. The user device and the base station may therebycommunicate with sufficient reliability upon their first exchangedmessages, without performing power scans, and with little chance ofmessage failure, according to some embodiments.

The systems and methods further include procedures for base stations tocompensate for obscurations that may interfere with communications,based on the mobile user device location, as described in the followingexamples.

FIG. 2A is a sketch showing an exemplary embodiment of a mobile userdevice passing by an obscuration, according to some embodiments. Asdepicted in this non-limiting example, a first mobile user device 201,depicted as a vehicle, communicates with a base station 202, depicted asan antenna, while traveling on a main road 203. A second mobile userdevice 204 is on the same road 203 but farther ahead. The figure showsthe first user device 201 quite close to the base station 202, while thesecond user device 204 is much farther from the base station 202. Theuser devices 201 and 204 may be configured to determine their distancefrom the base station 202, by comparing their own location to the basestation's location, and may adjust their uplink transmission powerlevels accordingly to provide a particular signal amplitude as-receivedby the base station. The user devices 201 and 204 may also communicatetheir calculated distances to the base station 202, so that the basestation 202 can adjust its downlink transmission power higher for theshorter distance of user device 201, and higher power for the longerdistance of user device 204, and thereby provide sufficient amplitudeas-received for reliable reception by each of the user devices 201 and204.

In some embodiments, the first user device 201 may include, in itsmessage to the base station 202, an indication of its speed anddirection of travel, in addition to its current location. Using thatinformation, the base station 202 may be configured to calculate thedistance to that user device 201 as a function of time. The base station202 can then adjust its downlink transmission power level according tothe time-dependent distances, and thereby deliver sufficient receptivitywhile avoiding the need for frequent position-updating message exchangesfrom the user devices 201 and 204. In the position calculation, the basestation 202 may assume that the velocity of the user device 201 remainsconstant at the stated value, and that the user device (if a vehicle)follows the curves of whatever road it is on, unless informed otherwise.The base station 202 may thereby calculate the distance as a function oftime, and may adjust its power level accordingly, without the need forfrequent position-updating messages from the user devices 201 and 204.

The figure also shows a third user device 205 on a side road 206 thatpasses behind an obscuration depicted as a hill 207, which attenuatesthe signal. The base station 202 may calculate the location of the thirduser device 205 based on its speed and direction, as well as the way theside road 206 curves. The base station 202 may thereby determine thatthe user device 205 is about to pass behind the hill 207, and thereforemay increase the transmission power of any messages to that user device205. In addition, the base station 202 may calculate, based on the speedof the third user device 205, when it is expected to emerge from theobstruction 207, and may revert to the normal power level thereafter. Inaddition, the base station 202 may have previously determined (byexperimentation, for example) how much to increase the transmit power,so that the third user device 205 may receive messages reliably whileobscured.

The third user device 205 may include a similar map of receptivity, andmay adjust its uplink power level higher according to the receptivitymap, so that the base station 202 can continue to receive messages fromthe user device 205 when the uplink signal is attenuated.

FIG. 2B is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of a base stationcompensating for signal attenuation, according to some embodiments. Asdepicted in this non-limiting example, a map 210 of the scenario of FIG.2A includes the first, second, and third user devices 211, 214, 215 on amain road 213 and a side road 216, plus a base station 212 and a hill217 (in dash). Also shown is a region of reduced receptivity 218(stipple) in which messages transmitted from the base station 212 areattenuated by the obscuration hill 217. The region of reducedreceptivity 218 is determined, in this case, by the size of the hill217, which subtends an angle 219 as viewed by the base station 212, at adistance 220 from the base station 212. Hence, as discussed, the basestation 212, can receive a message from the third user device 215indicating the third user device's location and speed and direction, canthen the base station 212 can determine that the third user device 215is on the side road 216 where it passes through the region of reducedreceptivity 218. In addition, the base station 212 can calculate thetimes that the third user device 215 is expected to enter and exit theregion of reduced receptivity 218. Accordingly, the base station 212 mayincrease its transmission power to an enhanced power level greater thanthe normal power level for that distance, and may transmit messages tothe third user device 215 according to the enhanced power level while itis obscured, and may thereby compensate the attenuation. As mentioned,the base station 212 may have previously determined, from experimentsfor example, an attenuation level or an enhanced transmission powerlevel, and thus can determine by how much to increase the power to keepthe received message amplitudes roughly the same for mobile user devicesinside and outside the region of reduced receptivity 218.

Mobile wireless users are generally quite familiar with “dead zones”along the routes they routinely travel, where receptivity is poor. Eachbase station serving the area can generate an area map, such as thatdepicted but extending throughout a region. The area map may includecontour levels or the like, indicating the degree of signal attenuationat each region, as viewed by the base station. Alternatively, the mapmay indicate what level of power is needed for adequate reception ateach point in the area as viewed by the base station. Each base stationcan then adjust its power accordingly so that messages to user devicespassing through each obscuration zone are properly received. Each basestation's receptivity map may also indicate regions where the receptionfrom that base station is so poor, that the user device may be betterserved by another base station. In that case, the initial base stationcan arrange a hand-off to the other base station as the user device isapproaching the obscuration, so that the user device can haveuninterrupted service.

FIG. 2C is a flowchart showing an exemplary embodiment of a procedurefor a mobile user device and a base station to compensate for signalobscuration, according to some embodiments. As depicted in thisnon-limiting example, at 251, a mobile user device determines its ownlocation, speed, and direction of travel using, for example, satellitenavigation, a speedometer, and an electronic compass. At 252, the userdevice transmits a message with this information to a base station. At253, the base station compares the location with a map (or database ofroad locations, contained in non-transitory computer-readable memory) todetermine which road the user device is on. The base station may alsocheck that the direction and speed are consistent with the road, andother consistency tests. At 254, the base station calculates a formulafor the distance to the user device versus time, based on the speed. Thebase station may also take into account current traffic conditions,known changes in the road such as curves, and other factors that mayinfluence the position extrapolation. Then at 255, the base station mayhave a message to send to the user device, and may calculate thedistance from the base station to the user device at that moment usingthe formula, or according to the road map, or otherwise. Optionally, thebase station may also monitor the amount of background noise orinterference that may degrade the reception of the message. The basestation may then determine how much transmitter power is required totransmit the message so that the user device will likely receive itwithout fault, based at least in part on the distance and/or the currentbackground level, and then may transmit the message.

At 256, the user device has changed direction or speed, and thereforemay transmit an uplink message to the base station informing it of thechange. Using that updated information, at 257, the base station maycalculate that the user device is about to pass behind a knownobscuration. Alternatively, at 258, the user device may transmit amessage indicating that it is about to pass behind an obscuration or isabout to enter a known “dead zone” based, for example, on pastexperience. In either case, at 259, the base station may transmit adownlink message to the user device using increased transmitter power,to overcome the attenuation caused by the obscuration. At 260, the basestation may determine that the user device has likely exited from theobscuration zone according to its stated speed, and therefore the basestation may resume transmissions to the user device with the normalpower level.

In this way a base station, or a core network attached to multipleaccess points, may keep track of the positions and receptivity of thevarious mobile user devices that they serve, and may increase ordecrease transmission power to compensate for obstructions, and maythereby provide communications with relatively constant reliability asthe user devices move around.

The systems and methods further include procedures for user devices tocommunicate directly with each other, not involving a base station. Theuser devices in such a sidelink communication may adjust theirtransmission power to provide sufficient reception to other user devicesbased on location, as described in the following examples.

FIG. 3A is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of vehiclescommunicating with power compensation, according to some embodiments. Asdepicted in this non-limiting example, a first vehicle 301 is incommunication with a second, third, and fourth vehicle 302, 303, 304 ona highway 300, as well as a pedestrian 305. The figure shows thedistances 312, 313, 314 from the first vehicle 301 to the second, third,and fourth vehicles 302, 303, 304 respectively, and the distance 315 tothe pedestrian 305.

Since the various entities are at different distances, the first vehicle301 may transmit individual messages to them, each with a differentpower level, so that each receiving entity can receive each message withsufficient amplitude for reliable reception, but without wasting energyon excessively powerful transmissions. For example, the first vehicle301 may broadcast a message indicating its location and optionally itsspeed and direction of travel. The other entities 302-305 may receivethat message and may reply by transmitting or broadcasting a responsivemessage specifying their own locations, and optionally their speeds anddirections of travel. (Such messages may assist the other vehicles inavoiding collisions, for example.) Thus each of the entities 301-305 cancalculate the distance from itself to each other entity in the figure,and can determine a transmission power level according to the calculateddistance, to provide sufficient message receptivity. In addition, if thespeed and direction information are provided in the messages, each ofthe entities 301-305 can calculate future locations and futuredistances, and thereby can adjust the transmission power level forsufficient reception of future messages. For example, the first andthird vehicles 301, 303 are on the same side of the highway 300 andtherefore are likely traveling in the same direction and approximatelythe same speed, whereas the fourth vehicle 304 is traveling in theopposite direction as indicated by an arrow. The first vehicle 301 maydetermine that the distance between itself and the third vehicle 303 islikely constant or slowly varying, whereas the distance to the fourthvehicle 304 is likely changing very rapidly due to their oppositedirections. In addition, the first vehicle 301 may determine that thedistance 315 between itself and the pedestrian 305 may be changingslowly at first, since the location of the pedestrian 305 is nearlyperpendicular to the direction of travel of the first vehicle 301, butthat the distance will likely increase geometrically as the firstvehicle 301 proceeds down the highway 300.

FIG. 3B is a flowchart showing an exemplary embodiment of a procedurefor a mobile user device to compensate for distance, according to someembodiments. As depicted in this non-limiting example, a mobile userdevice User-1 communicates with a User-2 to adjust transmission poweraccording to the distance between them. At 351, User-1 determines itsown location, speed, and direction of travel, and at 352 broadcasts amessage indicating those values to other user devices in range. At 353,the other user devices determine their locations, speeds, and directionsof travel, then broadcast messages indicating those values. All of theuser devices receive each other's messages and determine from them thelocations, speeds, and directions of travel of the various user devices.

At 354, User-1 calculates the distance to each of the other user devicesaccording to their locations, and also determines formulas indicatingthe location of each user device versus time according to its speed anddirection of travel. For example, User-1 can determine a first timeelapsed since User-1 determined its own location, and a second timeelapsed since receiving the location message from a User-2. User-1 canassume that the speed remains constant unless informed of a change inspeed. User-1 can then calculate the expected location of itself and ofUser-2 at the current time according to the elapsed times, speeds, anddirections of travel of the two entities. If User-1 has access to a map,such as an electronic roadmap for example, then User-1 can determinewhich road each user device is currently on, based on their statedlocations, and can assume that each user device will remain on the sameroad until informed of a change, and therefore can project or calculatethe position of each user device along each of the roads versus timeincluding curves. It may not be necessary to assume that the directionof travel of a user device remains constant because the road may curve;instead, the speed may be assumed to be constant while the user devicefollows the road shape.

At 355, User-1 has a message for User-2, and therefore User-1 calculatesthe expected location of User-2 at that time, based on User-2's statedinitial location, speed, and direction of travel, and based on theamount of time passed since User-2 transmitted its location message.User-1 may also determine its own position, which may have changed sinceUser-1 transmitted its location message. Using those updated locations,User-1 then calculates the current distance to User-2, and adjusts itstransmission power accordingly. For example, User-1 may have a formulaor algorithm or the like to determine a suitable transmission powerlevel to use for satisfactory reception at the calculated distance.Then, at 356, User-1 transmits the message to User-2 with the power setaccording to the level so determined.

The systems and methods further include message formats for user devicesto indicate their locations, and other information, to a base stationand/or to other user devices, as disclosed in the following examples.

FIG. 4A is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of a messageformat for user devices to indicate locations to base stations,according to some embodiments. As depicted in this non-limiting example,a user location update message 400, for a mobile user device to indicateits location to a base station, may include a message-type field 403, anidentification code 404, a location field 405, an optional speed field406, an optional direction field 407, an optional set of flags 408, andan optional error-check field 409. The message-type field 403 mayinclude a code indicating that the message 400 is a location messageincluding speed and direction of travel. The identification field 404may include a code such as the C-RNTI code or MAC address or otheridentifying code of the user device. The location field 405 may includethe latitude and longitude of the user device, or a code related to thegeographical coordinates. For example, it may not be necessary, in alocal application, to include the full-degree portions of the latitudeand longitude because the radio range of the base station is generallymuch less than 100 km, which corresponds roughly to one degree in mostof the populated regions of the Earth. In addition, depending on thespatial resolution required, it may not be necessary to indicate thecoordinates to high precision. For example, a code including just thethird, fourth, and fifth digit after the decimal point in decimal-degreenotation may be sufficient to provide meter-scale resolution, and maycover a kilometer range which may be sufficient for traffic applicationsand industrial automation applications, among others.

The speed field 406 may indicate the speed of the user device in unitsof, for example, meters per second. The direction field 407 may indicatethe compass heading of the user device, or other measure of thedirection of travel. This may be encoded as four bits providing anangular resolution of 22.5 degrees, or other encoding depending on theangular resolution required. The flags 408 may indicate, among manyother things, whether the user device is accelerating, decelerating, ormaintaining a constant velocity, which may help the receiving entity toextrapolate future positions. The error-check field 409 may include aparity code or a CRC or other code configured to reveal message faults.

In another embodiment, a user node may indicate its location and/ormotion information during initial access, such as the 4-step initialaccess procedure in which the user node first transmits a random accesspreamble on the random access channel of a base station, and the basestation replies with an RAR (random access response) message providing agrant. Using the grant, the user device then transmits “Msg3” or thirdaccess message, including its identification MAC (media access code) andother information, after which the base station transmits Msg4 (fourthaccess message) resolving any collisions. For example, the user devicemay include its location, and optionally its speed and direction oftravel, in its Msg3 if the grant provides sufficient space, and if not,the user device may indicate in Msg3 that the user device has additionalinformation to transmit. Then, Msg4 may include a second grant, withwhich the user device may transmit a fifth message including itslocation, speed, and direction of travel, among other information.

As an alternative option, the user device may transmit anacknowledgement after receiving Msg4, and may include in theacknowledgement a multiplexed scheduling request for transmitting asubsequent message indicating the location, speed, and direction oftravel of the user device.

FIG. 4B is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of a messageformat for user devices to indicate locations to other user devices,according to some embodiments. As depicted in this non-limiting example,a sidelink location update message 410 may be broadcast by a mobile userdevice to inform other mobile and fixed user devices of the transmittinguser device's location and motion. In this example, a base station isnot involved. The message 410 may include an optional “carrier” field411 with unmodulated carrier signal, a demodulation reference 412, anaddress field 413, a location field 414, and a motion field 415including speed and direction of travel.

The carrier field 411 may include a sine wave at the subcarrierfrequency, but otherwise unmodulated, to assist other user devices indetermining the frequency of the rest of the message. The frequency maybe affected by drifts in the time-base of the transmitting or receivinguser device, Doppler shifts in frequency due to the motions of the userdevices, and other effects. The carrier field 411 may enable thereceiving entity to adjust its time-base for optimal reception of therest of the message. The demodulation reference 412 may be a regularDMRS (demodulation reference signal) which is generally encoded in acomplex way. Alternatively, the demodulation reference 412 may be alow-complexity short-format demodulation reference with two referenceelements, configured to exhibit the maximum and minimum amplitudelevels, and the maximum and minimum phase levels, of the modulationscheme, from which the remaining levels can be calculated byinterpolation. Alternatively, the short-format demodulation reference413 may include four reference elements, exhibiting all of the amplitudelevels and phase levels of 16QAM, or all of the phase levels in QPSK,for example, so that no interpolation is needed. Providing thedemodulation reference 412 within the message 410 may assist the otheruser devices in demodulating the rest of the message.

The address field 413 may include a wireless address such as auser-selected code of 8 or 12 or 16 bits, configured by each user deviceto be different from the codes of all other user devices in range, forexample. The location field 414 may include the latitude and longitudeof the user device, optionally abbreviated or encoded, as describedabove. The motion fields 415 may indicate the speed and direction oftravel of the user device, as described above. Mobile user devices suchas vehicles in traffic may exchange sidelink location update messages asshown to inform each other of their presence, location, and motion, sothat the other user devices can transmit to them using an appropriatepower level. In addition, collision-avoidance software on each mobileuser device can use the location, and motion data to construct a localtraffic map and thereby detect imminent collisions, among other uses.

FIG. 5A is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of a messageformat for a base station to indicate its location to user devices,according to some embodiments. As depicted in this non-limiting example,a modified SSB (synchronization signal block) 500 in 5G/6G includes 4symbol times and 240 consecutive subcarriers, all modulated in QPSK.Within the message 500 are a PSS (primary synchronization signal) of 127subcarriers, a SSS (secondary synchronization signal) also 127subcarriers, and four regions with PBCH (physical broadcast channel)which, in this context, includes the MIB (master information block). ThePSS, SSS, and PBCH(MIB) provide system information that a user devicemay require, in order to receive messages on a particular cell. Theremaining two regions, indicated as 501 and 502, are unassigned in5G/6G.

In the depicted embodiment, a demodulation reference is inserted intothe first unassigned region 501, to assist user devices in demodulatingthe rest of the message, and a location is inserted into the secondunassigned region 502, indicating the latitude and longitude of the basestation (or the antenna of the base station). The full geographicallocation of the base station may include eight digits for each of thelatitude and longitude in decimal degrees, for example, therebyproviding about one-meter resolution. The number of bits needed for thisresolution is about 53 or 54 depending on encoding, or 27 resourceelements at QPSK. Thus the full geographical coordinates can fit withinthe second region 502, which includes 56 or 57 subcarriers. Thus thebase station can indicate, in its SSB message, its location atmeter-scale resolution. With the SSB message 500 modified as shown, thebandwidth is unchanged, and the time required is unchanged.

FIG. 5B is a schematic showing another exemplary embodiment of a messageformat for base stations to indicate locations to user devices,according to some embodiments. As depicted in this non-limiting example,another modified SSB message 510 may include the usual PSS-SSS-PBCH(MIB)structure, plus four new items in the previously unallocated fields ofthe first symbol time. The modified SSB message 510 may include ashort-form demodulation reference 511, shown in the fourhighest-frequency subcarriers, followed by the latitude value 512. Afterthe PSS, the longitude value 513 is shown followed by another short-formdemodulation reference 514 in the lowest-frequency subcarriers. Each ofthe short-form demodulation references 511 and 514 includes fourconsecutive reference elements, modulated according to all four valuesof the phase used in the modulation scheme, which is normally QPSK.(There is no amplitude modulation in QPSK). By providing the short-formdemodulation references at the highest and lowest frequency subcarriers,within the message body 510, a user device can demodulate the rest ofthe message despite interference and noise. For example, each resourceelement of the message 500 may be compared to an interpolated, orweighted average, of the modulation levels exhibited in the short-formatdemodulation references 511 and 514. Since the demodulation references511 and 514 are generally affected by noise and interference in the sameway as the rest of the message, each message element may be demodulatedaccording to the interpolated average of the two demodulation references511 and 514, thereby mitigating the noise and interference includingfrequency-dependent noise and interference, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 5C is a schematic showing an exemplary embodiment of alow-complexity message format for a base station to indicate itslocation to user devices, according to some embodiments. As depicted inthis non-limiting example, in a low-complexity SSB message 520, thebandwidth may be reduced to that required for transmitting the PSS andSSS portions, and the size of the BPCH portions may be reduced byreducing the number and/or complexity of parameters, and a fifth symbol521 may be added. The fifth symbol 521 may contain the latitude andlongitude, and optionally other data, of the base station.

Alternatively, the location data may be included in the PBCH, and afifth symbol may be added to accommodate the PBCH with the location dataincluded. As a further alternative, the low-complexity PBCH mayaccommodate the location data without the need for a fifth symbol,depending on how many parameters are specified in the low-complexityPBCH.

An advantage of providing the base station location in the SSB messagemay be to inform each new arrival user device of the base station'slocation before the user device attempts to acquire further systeminformation from the base station. An advantage of placing twoshort-form demodulation references at the top and bottom subcarriers maybe that frequency-dependent interference and external noise can bemitigated by comparing the phase of each message element to the twoshort-form demodulation references 511 and 514, or to an interpolatedaverage of the corresponding phase values. An advantage of informinguser devices of the base station's location may be that the user devicescan then adjust their transmit power for satisfactory reception at thebase station without a power scan.

5G, and especially 6G, have enormous potential for communicationsbetween mobile user devices and other entities, such as base stations,vehicles in traffic, roadside devices, and innumerable otherapplications for low-cost wireless communication. The systems andmethods disclosed herein are intended to provide means for user devicesin motion to mitigate attenuation due to differences in distance and/orintervening obstructions, by adjusting their transmit power levelsaccordingly. Further disclosed systems and methods may enable basestations to adjust downlink power to compensate for user device distanceand the presence of obstructions. In addition, sidelink communicationsbetween user devices may benefit from similar power adjustments. Eachuser device may determine its own location, speed, and direction oftravel, as well as the location and other parameters of the intendedrecipient. These protocols thereby provide readily applicable solutionsto longstanding limitations of communications with mobile devices, andmay thereby enable many wireless applications with mobile devices thatwould be unfeasible, absent the systems and methods disclosed herein.

The systems and methods may be fully implemented in any number ofcomputing devices. Typically, instructions are laid out on computerreadable media, generally non-transitory, and these instructions aresufficient to allow a processor in the computing device to implement themethod of the invention. The computer readable medium may be a harddrive or solid state storage having instructions that, when run, orsooner, are loaded into random access memory. Inputs to the application,e.g., from the plurality of users or from any one user, may be by anynumber of appropriate computer input devices. For example, users mayemploy vehicular controls, as well as a keyboard, mouse, touchscreen,joystick, trackpad, other pointing device, or any other such computerinput device to input data relevant to the calculations. Data may alsobe input by way of one or more sensors on the robot, an inserted memorychip, hard drive, flash drives, flash memory, optical media, magneticmedia, or any other type of file-storing medium. The outputs may bedelivered to a user by way of signals transmitted to robot steering andthrottle controls, a video graphics card or integrated graphics chipsetcoupled to a display that maybe seen by a user. Given this teaching, anynumber of other tangible outputs will also be understood to becontemplated by the invention. For example, outputs may be stored on amemory chip, hard drive, flash drives, flash memory, optical media,magnetic media, or any other type of output. It should also be notedthat the invention may be implemented on any number of different typesof computing devices, e.g., embedded systems and processors, personalcomputers, laptop computers, notebook computers, net book computers,handheld computers, personal digital assistants, mobile phones, smartphones, tablet computers, and also on devices specifically designed forthese purpose. In one implementation, a user of a smart phone orWi-Fi-connected device downloads a copy of the application to theirdevice from a server using a wireless Internet connection. Anappropriate authentication procedure and secure transaction process mayprovide for payment to be made to the seller. The application maydownload over the mobile connection, or over the Wi-Fi or other wirelessnetwork connection. The application may then be run by the user. Such anetworked system may provide a suitable computing environment for animplementation in which a plurality of users provide separate inputs tothe system and method.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description is not adefinition of the invention but is a description of one or morepreferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. The invention is notlimited to the particular embodiments(s) disclosed herein, but rather isdefined solely by the claims below. Furthermore, the statementscontained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodimentsand are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the inventionor on the definition of terms used in the claims, except where a term orphrase is expressly defined above. Various other embodiments and variouschanges and modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the specificcombination and order of steps is just one possibility, as the presentmethod may include a combination of steps that has fewer, greater, ordifferent steps than that shown here. All such other embodiments,changes, and modifications are intended to come within the scope of theappended claims.

As used in this specification and claims, the terms “for example”,“e.g.”, “for instance”, “such as”, and “like” and the terms“comprising”, “having”, “including”, and their other verb forms, whenused in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or otheritems, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that the listingis not to be considered as excluding other additional components oritems. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonablemeaning unless they are used in a context that requires a differentinterpretation.

1. A method for a mobile user device to communicate wirelessly, themethod comprising: a) determining a location of the mobile user device;b) determining a speed and a travel direction of the mobile user device;and c) transmitting a localization message indicating the location ofthe mobile user device, the speed of the mobile user device, and thetravel direction of the mobile user device.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the localization message is transmitted according to 5G or 6Gtechnology.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: a) determininga latitude value of the mobile user device in whole degrees andfractional degrees; b) determining a longitude value of the mobile userdevice in whole degrees and fractional degrees; c) transmitting, in thelocalization message, the fractional degrees of latitude and thefractional degrees of longitude, while omitting the whole degrees oflatitude and the whole degrees of longitude.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the localization message indicates the travel direction of themobile user device encoded in an abbreviated format comprising four toeight bits, inclusive.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thelocalization message further indicates whether the mobile user device ischanging a speed, a direction, or a travel direction of the mobile userdevice.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the localization messagefurther indicates whether the mobile user device plans to change aspeed, a direction, or a travel direction of the mobile user devicewhile registered with the base station.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the localization message further indicates a road that themobile user device is on or plans to travel on.
 8. The method of claim1, further comprising transmitting, to a base station, during an initialaccess procedure, an initial localization message comprising: a) acurrent location of the mobile user device; and b) an indication thatthe mobile user device plans to change location while registered withthe base station.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the initiallocalization message is transmitted in, or concatenated with, either: a)a Msg3 (message-3) of a 4-step RACH (random access channel) procedure;or b) a MsgA (message-A) of a 2-step RACH procedure; or c) a separatemessage transmitted after the RACH procedure.
 10. A base station of awireless network, the base station configured to: a) determine atwo-dimensional distribution of attenuation factors, each attenuationfactor comprising a signal attenuation value, each signal attenuationvalue corresponding to a location within signaling range of the basestation; b) receive a localization message from a mobile user device,the localization message indicating a first location of the mobile userdevice; c) determine, according to the two-dimensional distribution ofattenuation factors, a first attenuation factor corresponding to thefirst location; d) adjust a transmission power level to compensate forthe first attenuation factor; and e) transmit a downlink message to themobile user device using the adjusted transmission power level.
 11. Thebase station of claim 10, wherein the downlink message indicates, to themobile user device, a request for the mobile user device to adjust atransmission power level according to the first attenuation factor. 12.The base station of claim 10, further configured to: a) receive, fromthe mobile user device, a message indicating a speed and a traveldirection of the mobile user device; b) at a later time, calculate,according to the first location and the speed and the travel direction,a second location; and c) determine, according to the two-dimensionaldistribution of attenuation factors, a second attenuation factorcorresponding to the second location.
 13. The base station of claim 12,further configured to: a) determine or receive a map comprising roadswithin signaling range of the base station; b) determine, according tothe map and the first location, that the mobile user device is on afirst road; and c) then determine, according to the speed, the traveldirection, and the map, and assuming that the mobile user device hasremained on the first road for a predetermined time interval, a secondlocation.
 14. The base station of claim 13, further configured to: a)receive, from the mobile user device, a third message indicating a thirdlocation and a third speed and a third travel direction of the mobileuser device; b) determine, according to the map, which road correspondsto the third location; and c) determine, according to thetwo-dimensional distribution of attenuation factors, a thirdtransmission power level for communication with the mobile user device.15. The base station of claim 10, further configured to: a) receive,from the mobile user device, a fourth message indicating a fourth speedand a fourth travel direction of the mobile user device, wherein thefourth message further indicates that the mobile user device plans tochange speed or direction; and b) at a later time, transmit a fifthmessage to the mobile user device, the fifth message requesting anupdated location, speed, and direction of the mobile user device.
 16. Amethod for a first vehicle in traffic to communicate with anothervehicle, the method comprising: a) determining, based on signals from aglobal navigation satellite system, a first location of the firstvehicle; b) determining, based on a speedometer in the first vehicle, afirst speed of the first vehicle; c) determining, based on an electroniccompass in the first vehicle, a first travel direction of the firstvehicle; d) broadcast a first message specifying a wireless address ofthe first vehicle, the first location, the first speed, and the firsttravel direction.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: a)receiving, from a second vehicle, a second message specifying a secondwireless address, a second location, a second speed, and a second traveldirection of the second vehicle.
 18. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising: a) calculating a location difference between the first andsecond locations, a speed difference between the first and secondspeeds, and a direction difference between the first and second traveldirections; and b) based on the location difference, the speeddifference, and the direction difference, calculating a future locationof the second vehicle relative to the first vehicle.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, further comprising: a) determining, based on the locationdifference, a first transmission power level; b) determining, based onthe calculated future location of the second vehicle relative to thefirst vehicle, that the first and second vehicles are predicted tocollide; and c) transmitting, to the second vehicle, according to thefirst transmission power level, an emergency message.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, further comprising: a) determining, according to a map, athird location of an emergency response station; b) determining,according to a difference between the first and third locations, a thirddistance; c) determining, according to the third distance, a thirdtransmission power level; and d) transmitting, to the emergency responsestation, according to the third transmission power level, a request forassistance.